1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a miniaturized imaging apparatus that includes a semiconductor imaging device and is used mainly in a camera or the like for portable equipment.
2. Description of Related Art
In a conventional small-size imaging apparatus, as described in JP 2001-245186 A, imaging light that has passed through a lens is allowed to enter a semiconductor imaging device such as a CCD and converted into an electric signal, thus obtaining an imaging signal. With the demand for smaller size and higher performance of portable equipment, there is an increasing need for reducing the size and weight of the imaging apparatus itself
For this purpose, attempts have been made to reduce the thickness of individual components in the imaging apparatus as much as possible, thus achieving a thinner imaging apparatus.
In the case of reducing the thickness of the semiconductor imaging device itself so as to achieve a thinner imaging apparatus, a back surface of a semiconductor wafer generally has been ground to reduce the thickness.
However, in the case of reducing the thickness in this manner, there have been the following problems. Owing to an influence of light entering the semiconductor imaging device from a surface opposite to a light-receiving surface through which imaging light should enter (in the following, referred to as a “back surface”), the imaging light is deteriorated or OB (optical black), which is an optical standard of black reference, varies, so that an excellent imaging signal cannot be obtained. Thus, there has been a limitation of the thickness reduction of the semiconductor imaging device, which poses an obstacle to the thickness reduction of the imaging apparatus.
Furthermore, when the thickness of the semiconductor imaging device is reduced, a resin shielding sheet or the like sometimes has been bonded to the back surface of the semiconductor imaging device for the purpose of preventing the imaging light from deteriorating due to the incident light from the back surface as described above. This increases the number of new working steps and components, raising costs of the imaging apparatus.